Seattle's Magnolia Neighborhood News Blog

Peanut shells on 28th and 29th

Posted on February 11th, 2014 by Sara

We got this email from a concerned reader:

I have noticed for over a year now there are frequently peanut shells scattered all over the sidewalks and grass along 28th Ave. W and 29th Ave. W. They even often end up in our yard and on our front walkway too. Normally, I would not care but I have a toddler with a life threatening peanut allergy. This makes walking outside our home and to the park, etc. difficult in that we don’t want to step on the shells or have our dog step on them and risk bringing residue into our home. It’s especially unsettling when we find them on our property which we would like to think as absolutely “peanut free”.

If anyone knows how this is happening and could let me know or the person/people who are discarding the shells outside the broader concern, I’d greatly appreciate it. I know they are biodegradable, but if they could be placed into a container/bag instead of tossed that would be great! Thanks!

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RocketScientist

It is not rocket science. Jays eat peanuts. They take the nuts from the source, crack them to eat, then leave the shells on the ground. This is not going to stop.

angie on 29th

Also squirrels. I found the shells all over my upper decks in the same area. The exterminator had to put up traps to capture all the squirrels who had bored a way into the attic space of my house. The peanuts in our area was a food source that attracted them to nest in my house. I never could figure out why there were empty peanut shells on an upper story outside windowsill until I saw a squirrel eating them there! If people are putting them out for the squirrels/birds, and you happen to read Magnolia Voice…please stop.

FeedTheBirdsTuppenceABag

No.

jerry

OK, when your pet comes in my yard, I’ll off it.

tootie12

Yes, squirrels! We, too, have a peanut-free home and it was very unsettling to find these all over our yard and porch plants!

Mr. Emerson

Yes, it isn’t rocket science that birds and squirrels are the ones eating them and leaving the shells. That isn’t the question/issue. The problem is the source. Whoever is giving the animals the peanuts needs to stop. The animals have plenty to eat around Magnolia, they do not need these peanuts.

They are all over our cars, down below the windshield wipers where they are very tough to remove, and all over our yard. However, this is just a nuisance and is minuscule compared to the concern over peanut allergies. The allergy issue is much more serious and I hope that this is taken seriously and people stop distributing peanuts. They obviously will not stay on your property and are putting lives at risk.

I have a feeling those giving out peanuts do not care about annoying their neighbors with littered shells all over the neighborhood, but hopefully they will care about putting lives at risk. Nut allergies are VERY serious and dangerous. I am assuming they have not considered this, as I previously had not, so it will be good for all to pass along to their neighbors so that hopefully word gets to those responsible.

ThatsIncredible

Who are you to tell this whole community to stop feeding the birds? I’m sorry that people have family members who are allergic to peanuts, but it’s beyond the scope of reasonable to tell your neighbors what they can’t do on their own property.

Tom

= clueless

GladysKravitz

It’s not just their own property. Throwing food from a car onto other people’s property, including homes on 29th Ave, is not reasonable.

sara

doesn’t it sound like excessive amounts though and not within reason? It does to me.

tony77

It seems unlikely that someone could feed that many peanuts to the birds or squirrels, unless they have a 50 lb bag every week for years – they are *everywhere*. When we bought our home we found them all over the yard but also many many buried under soil that hadn’t been dug over in over 10 years. Are there any peanut trees in the neighborhood? Is it also a problem in west Magnolia, or is it localized to a small area?

Touche! I don’t care where peanuts come from, just how to open the can…

eyes in magnolia

I happen to have a neighbor who feeds peanuts to the birds in her front yard every day…I asked her if she might refrain from such activity due to all the bird droppings left on the sidewalk and the houses (hers as well as both neighbors) …She now drives her car around the neighborhood and tosses handfuls of peanuts out her window as she goes down street! This might be the answer to your peanut mystery.

GladysKravitz

You are correct. We, too, have asked her to stop yet we see her tossing peanuts and other food items in her yard daily and sometimes see her driving slowly around the neighborhood throwing food from her window. You can often see hordes of crows follow her car, squawking loudly as she does her rounds.

If she will not stop, why not dump your garbage in her yard? How about posting her address so we can all share our garbage with her to enjoy!

JDub

That might explain why I find patches of peanut shells along 34th near the Metropolitan Market from time to time…

eyes in magnolia

I live on 31st ave west….

Tom

I have seen this on 29th as well….a lot over the last two years. It’s not squirrels or birds, there is a distinct path following the sidewalk for blocks. Not likely wildlife. Get over your knee jerk objections and listen to a very serious appeal from a concerned mother. Sheesh, the heartlessness is appalling.

KB

it is possible to purchase shelled (and broken) peanuts from Wildbirds USA. No shells and they eat them, not bury they, and they do not sprout if not eaten. Peanuts in the shell are often buried and forgotten and then sprout.

Science!

Boiled peanuts don’t sprout.

Tom Dick and Harry

I cannot decide which is worse- seeing this topic actually being discussed so heavily or the fact that this was actually posted online on this forum.

raamparts

oh, the humanity. como se dice, 1st world problems?

RBL

People with that sort of illusion of a boundary/safe zone are going to have a hard time going … anywhere. But still, this has been entertaining.

allen

So now that the subject of peanuts has been run into the ground (where peanuts grow, as they are a bean, not a nut…but someone said that already)…those people who feel they can do what they like on their own property…can I use poison to kill the cats that wander on my property? They use my garden as a toilet, and yes, they kill birds at the feeder (no peanuts). After all , its my property. It comes from the same mindset…no one can tell me what to do on my land, and I hate cats, rather see them dead than the birds, and think people who let their cats outside should “lose” their pets. But sometimes what you do on your own land can poison or hurt other people. So we think of the welfare of other people and not just defend our little patch against anyone trying to tell us what to do. Though one less cat in the world wouldn’t bother me a bit, I realize someone else out there has emotions about the thing. That is called being part of a community….and I think that concerned neighbors SHOULD let the people who are spreading the nuts, even in their own yards, know what the implications are for others. No law against it, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t strongly let the person know.

Johnny

Awww, you want to kill people’s pets. That’s adorable.

allen

I don’t kill them because I know they are other people’s pets, though they are being irresponsible letting them wander into other people’s yards. I still have squirrel traps, so sometimes I am tempted to trap them and take them somewhere else so the owner’s learn what happens when they let their cats roam…but not really worth the yowling and the trouble. I’d love to kill the animals I detest (Cats, rats), but I don’t because I know others love them. I have a dog and I don’t let it poop in other peoples yards. Its adorable you eat a hamburger and loved to kill that cow, as well.

localgal

It’s not quite the same argument. It is legal to put compost or most vegetative matter in your yard. Perhaps people did not realize the peanuts migrated with the birds, and now that a stubborn few have been told they “can’t” throw peanuts out, that’s all they want to do. That is a matter of empathy I suppose. But you argue that killing a cat that wanders into your yard is the same thing. It’s not; it would be an illegal act to kill the cat. So yes, it IS your property, but concerns for your humanity aside, you still cannot commit an illegal act and harm the animal,even if it’s your yard.

allen

I can legally trap it and transport it, which I would do if it weren’t too much trouble (I kept the Redi National traps). It isn’t worth the trouble, but I’m tempted. Poisoning a cat is kind of effortless…but enough on that. If we all want to be empathetic, lets all do what we can to not kill each other’s pets, not poison each other’s children, and not put out foods that attract rodents.

Peanut Lover

This is what I think:

allen

I know, I know, it will offend people…but it is still very funny. Why is it that peanut allergies were no big issue 20 years ago? What happened that they are so common today. Thanks for the laugh…and yes, our better selves need to care for the needs of others…

Jessica

Yes, that was very offensive. You don’t think the mom who wrote this appeal will look at this thread? Think for a minute how you would feel if your loved one could die from touching a peanut. I’d like to think our community would work to find a solution and help a family in this situation rather than posting insensitive videos and snarky comments.

whatever name you want

The mother has a serious problem that didn’t exist a few years ago. The problem requires that absolutely everyone, manufacturers, neighbors, EVERYONE be careful not to kill her child. This is necessary and responsible, but again, this problem never existed a few years ago. My heart goes out to the mother, but humor is humor, and one of the purposes of humor is to joke about things that are extreme. Having the whole world treat a child that has to live in a bubble is extreme. Hitler was extreme…and people joke about him. The point is….the whole world CANNOT keep the child from touching/being in contact with a peanut. That is a tragedy, but in the real world, many people eat peanuts…not just squirrels. We have new problems with new times, and whether it is gluten or peanuts or dairy, yes, we all need to pitch in with our help to protect our children the best we can…but it does seem excessive when we all are expected to act correctly around the bubble children who cannot survive if they touch soy, peanuts, dairy, whatever. A farm child of the 1950s survived anything….suburban kids living in Magnolia survived peanuts a few years ago. What have we done wrong to create children so sensitive to common things? Do you think something in the American lifestyle might have created more asthma, allergies, sensitivities to things that bothered no one in the past? Fertility is lower now than it was in the past. Do you think that is could also be part of the American lifestyle?
As we do our best to accommodate this poor mom and others like her, what on earth have we done to create bubble children?

the circus

its me that is doing it. I’ve been trying to catch an elephant for months now, but haven’t nabbed one yet. i’ll stop as soon as I catch one, I promise.

localgal

Concerns over empty peanut shells migrating around the neighborhood makes me wonder how peanuts were the favored snack on airlines for 40+ years? If some have allergies so severe that even touching a surface that touched a peanut could cause a dangerous reaction, how do families travel safely? Is there a peanut-free airline? Have nut allergies really amped up exponentially over the past decades? Recently, pretzels have entered the mix, but nuts still get served. A flying tube in the sky a few hours from a hospital seems so dangerous.

To go back to peanuts in the yard, I love squirrels and I love feeding them. Most of the peanut shells end up in my compost, but the crows and jays do steal a nut or two once in awhile. Not having dangerous allergies in my family, and having a high, fenced yard, it never occurred to me that these nuts could end up anywhere near someone who is allergic. I am glad someone brought this to my attention, but like others have suggested, it does bring up the issue of living in a bubble. For instance, I myself react to the noxious smoke of smoldering fire, coughing even a day after breathing it sometimes, and whether a wood-burning stove or backyard firepit, there is little I can do other than let my neighbors enjoy their backyard party or cozy fire. My allergies are not life or death. I am glad to be more aware that some do have toxic reactions, but we all must realize that no man is an island. I’m referring this in a classic context of course, not a sexist one; everything we do influences another, especially in an urban setting. I can see both sides, and there is no easy answer (except, Allen, definitely refrain from killing cats)!

allen

Of course. I don’t kill cats as much as I dislike them in my yard. But you should keep yours inside if you are considerate of your neighbors, some of whom might act on their disgust. On the subject of peanuts…you may like squirrels but they can destroy the wiring in houses when they make nests in attic spaces, gnawing on everything in the walls…. and they do it often when they can burrow in. When they have a reliable food source and a place to burrow in…one has a $500 Redi-National problem. I have had to get rid of squirrels in my house repeatedly, and repeatedly it is peanut shells they found up there. Currently they are all sealed out, and I have no more peanuts on my lot, so I assumed they brought them here when they found a warm place to live here. So yes, we all have an impact on each other. We all cannot do everything to avoid impacting each other in urban spaces…but PLEASE help me keep the squirrels you adore in YOUR yard and not mine, and not feed them peanuts. Or give them an opening in your own house for them to live. They are like rats (to use Redi-National’s phrase). Dirty, destructive, and tenacious. Don’t feed the rats either…PLEASE.

Joe

This thread is making me realize Magnolia is full of grown men who want to kill small animals (also known as sociopaths).

Teed

I thought this was about cats with peanut allergies.

jasonr.

Also called exterminators if you Google it. Called in for rats, squirrels, pests. Most people eat meat. They are grown people who kill large animals. Sociopaths have no emotions about what they do when they kill. People who kill pests feel they are eliminating vectors of disease or destruction and are saving their families and residences from degradation. Happy to be one of those people. Cats? Also pests when they are left loose to reproduce outdoors.